A3 books The Secrets of Hildegard von Bingen 1 Piece

A3 books The Secrets of Hildegard von Bingen
In the miniature "The Soul and its Tenderness" by Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), a diabolical figure places a brown mushroom in a bowl of cheeses. According to the German art historian Müller-Ebeling, this refers to the mycophobia, or fear of all things mushroom, which she claims arose in the Middle Ages. However, she completely ignores the true meaning of this brown mushroom and all the other symbols in Hildegard's miniatures related to the ceremonial use and veneration of the fly agaric.
Gerrit Jan Keizer has conducted an extensive study of the symbols and references she uses in her texts and miniatures. His analysis suggests that her inspiration stems partly from the hallucinations or "visions" and mystical experiences or "revelations" she evoked with entheogens. The fly agaric was the most prominent of these. Using the veiled symbolism, he demonstrates the effect the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms and plants—such as datura, henbane, and mandrake—had on her psyche, personality, and sexual development. Keizer also diagnoses and explains the traumatic experiences from her childhood and the resulting abnormal personality development. He also discusses her intimate (sexual) relationships with her mentor, Jutta von Sponheim, and with Richardis von Stade, a young nun who, along with the Benedictine monk Volmar, served as Hildegard's secretary. They were likely the only ones fully aware of her secrets.
Finally, her position in the Catholic Church during her lifetime, shortly before and (long) after her death is commented on and placed in time perspective.
Clinical psychologist and mycologist Gerrit Jan Keizer has been researching plants and mushrooms or fungi containing psychoactive substances for many years, and the influence their use has had on the development of world religions, particularly early Christianity. In recent years, he has focused particularly on the role the fly agaric played in shamanistic rituals and ceremonies adopted by the Catholic Church.

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